The gang thinks back to all the adventures they had in Marshall's 1988 Fiero after it dies just shy of the 200,000- mile mark.
This episode provides examples of:
- Big Brother Bully: Marshall's older brothers had him go through a lot of crap For the Lulz just to get the Fiero.
- Blatant Lies: Lily and Robin finally come clean about "the bum who threw up on the backseat." Turns out they spilled a lot of Thai food inside the car and tried to cover it up with Marshall's cigars (they even broke the windows to make it convincing).
- Brick Joke:
- At the beginning of the episode, Ted finds chopsticks inside the glove compartment instead of Marshall's special cigars. It's later explained that Robin and Lily smoked them long ago and replaced them with the chopsticks.
- In Lily and Robin's story, Lily mentions that the car and the proper usage of "affect" and "effect" are the two things Marshall cares about. When they're about to say goodbye to the car, we get this exchange:Ted: This car has effected all of our lives.Marshall: A-ffected.Ted: That's what I said.
- Car Ride Games: The game called Zitch Dog is introduced. There is just one rule: if you see a dog, the first person to say "Zitch dog!" gets a point. Whoever has the highest score by the end of the car ride wins. Marshall easily beats anyone because he's unusually good at playing games, and he owns Ted who can't score a single point.
- Character Filibuster: Barney is on Sarcasm Mode during the episode full of backstories.Marshall: (interrupting Ted's story) I think you skipped something.
Barney: (completely deadpan) Really? Seems impossible. - Character Signature Song: The episode marks the debut of I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles).
- Chekhov's Gunman: Ted's high school girlfriend Karen will make an appearance in season 4.
- Continuity Nod: Marshall being very good at games is noted in the season 1 episode Game Night.
- A Death in the Limelight: The gang reminisces their respective memories with the titular Fiero.
- Due to the Dead: The gang sans Barney drank a send-off for the Fiero.
- For the Lulz: Marshall's "initiations" are just his older brothers' petty amusement at his expense.
- Friendship Moment: Fiero was the key element into cementing Ted and Marshall as best friends. Also with Lily and Robin.
- Gender Bender: The Fiero is referred to in both male and female pronouns depending on how Marshall feels at the moment.
- Hypocritical Humor: In the Ted and Marshall story, Ted gets extremely agitated over Marshall's 'No food or drink in the Fiero' rule, seeing as he's a slob in their dorm room.Past!Ted: You haven't washed your sheets since orientation!
- Incessant Music Madness: Since the "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" tape has been stuck at Marshall's player ever since, the song kept playing over and over until he (and Ted, who was initially sick of it repeating) gets so attached to it.
- Intimate Healing: Marshall and Ted got lost on their road trip and had to cuddle to stay warm when a snowstorm hit. They found out in the morning that they were in the middle of a little town in front of a motel.
- Ironic Echo: Teen!Marshall listening to I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) in Fiero's radio and saying that "He will never get tired of the song". Later the cassette would be stuck in Fiero until the last day. It's subverted because Marshall explains he gets tired of the song occasionally, only to like it again after a while. In later seasons, Marshall is shown playing the song on rental cars.
- Kick the Dog: All the pranks Marshall's brothers are designed to add a level of humiliation on their little brother with the excuse of "earning" the car, which included shaving his legs and swallowing five dollars in quarters (and only came out $4.50). The final prank consisted of Marshall driving to the drive-thru naked to pick up an absurd number of coffee cups. Before Marshall arrives, both made sure to take all the cup lids and holders. As a final blow, they jump-scare Marshall, making him spill all the hot coffee over himself, causing Marshall to ban all foods and drinks from the vehicle.
- Mistaken for Gay: College-aged Ted and Marshall are mistaken as gay lovers by a Grumpy Old Man and his dog.Ted: And that's how we became best friends.Barney: "With privileges", from the sound of it.
- My Grandma Can Do Better Than You: Not said but as a visual pun when Ted was teaching Barney how to drive, since an old lady with a walker was faster than him.
- Naked People Are Funny: Marshall's "final test" to get the Fiero was to buy coffees at a fast-food chain naked while his older brothers were secretly waiting in order for them to ambush him. It didn't end well for him.
- Not So Remote: In the morning, it becomes clear that Ted and Marshall were right outside a motel the entire time they believed themselves Snowed-In in the Fiero.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Barney was ruining the origami cranes on purpose so he wouldn't have to help Lily make them.
- Retirony: The Fiero died shy of reaching the 200,000- mile mark.
- Shout-Out: To Pulp Fiction. When Lily and Robin spill Thai food in the Fiero, Robin takes control of the situation in a similar manner to Winston Wolf, with her monologue basically being a rewrite of Wolf's instructions to Vincent and Jules.Robin: The clock is ticking. Okay, first thing, we need to scoop up all these little pieces of tofu and cabbage. Next, what we need to take care of are the really messy parts, the pools that have collected. We got to soak that soup up.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: College-aged Ted admits his spectacles are just decorative.
- Snow Means Death: Ted and Marshall in the college flashback thought they were going to die in the snowstorm, but obviously they didn't.
- Someone to Remember Him By: The "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" tape is finally ejected before Marshall gave the Fiero its The Last Dance.
- Something Else Also Rises: Due to being stuck at a snowstorm, Ted and Marshall cuddled each other to keep themselves warm. While they're at it, Marshall mentions that if they survived he'll promise that he'll marry Lily someday. Then the following conversation happens...Ted: Hey, Marshall.Marshall: Yeah?Ted: Are you still thinking about Lily?Mashall: Yeah.Ted: Please stop.
- Tempting Fate: It is implied that Marcus did something so the "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" tape will be stuck at the Fiero after Marshall told him he'd never get tired of it.
- Triumphant Reprise: As the gang try to push the Fiero the last .7 miles it needs to hit 200,000, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" gets an orchestral cover.
- Vehicle Title: The episode is called "Arrivederci, Fiero". The Fiero is Marshall's beloved old car.
